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Steven Universe (1996 TV series)
Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Jim Jinkins and David Campbell for Cartoon Network, and was premiered on May 21, 1996. Although it is Cartoon Network's first female animated show, the series is the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (voiced by Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, humanoid aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall)—in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The show was produced by Jumbo Pictures, Hanna-Barbera (season 1), and Warner Bros. Television. Synopsis Steven Universe is set in the fictional town of Beach City, Delmarva. The Crystal Gems live in an ancient beachside temple and protect humanity from monsters and other threats. The Gems are ageless alien warriors who project female humanoid forms from magical gemstones at the core of their being. The Crystal Gems comprise Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven—a young, half-human, half-Gem boy who inherited his gemstone from his mother, the Crystal Gems' former leader Rose Quartz. As Steven tries to understand his gradually expanding range of powers, he spends his days with his father Greg, his friend Connie, his magical pet lion, other residents of Beach City, and the Gems. He explores the abilities inherited from his mother, which include fusion—the ability of Gems to merge their bodies and abilities to form new, more powerful personalities. The series's first season gradually reveals that the Crystal Gems are remnants of a great interstellar empire. During their missions they visit ruins that were once important to Gem culture but have been derelict for millennia. The Gems are cut off from the Gem homeworld, and Steven learns that many of the monsters and artifacts they encounter are Gems who were corrupted by a Gem weapon of mass destruction and can no longer maintain rational, humanoid form. In the second season, Steven learns that, millennia ago, the Gem empire intended to sterilize the Earth to incubate new Gems, but Rose Quartz led her supporters, the Crystal Gems, in a violent and apparently successful rebellion against this genocidal plan. In the present, the Gem empire's machinations again begin to extend towards Earth with the arrival of hostile envoys Peridot and Jasper. In the third season, Peridot allies with and eventually joins the Crystal Gems to prevent Earth's destruction by a Gem "geo-weapon" buried in the planet. During the third season, Lapis Lazuli, an errant Gem from Homeworld, decides to live on Earth with Peridot; Jasper is defeated and captured, and Steven learns that his mother shattered one of the Gem empire's matriarchs, Pink Diamond. At the end of the third season, as Steven wrestles with his conflicted feelings about his mother's actions, the Gem empire leaders Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond return their full attention to Earth. In the fourth season, Steven learns that in fact his mother was Pink Diamond, who faked her death to assume the identity of Rose Quartz; he uses this revelation to try to persuade the other Diamonds to take responsibility for and fix the damage they have caused. Characters Main *'Steven Quartz Universe' (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas in season 1, Billy West since season 2) - The youngest and only male member of the Crystal Gems, and also the son of Greg Universe, a human musician, and Rose Quartz, the former leader of the Crystal Gems. *'Garnet' (voiced by Alfre Woodard) - The disciplined current leader of the Crystal Gems. *'Amethyst' (voiced by Tress MacNeille) - The shortest and youngest of the Crystal Gems other than Steven. Her mischievous sense of humor often provides comic relief, and her fun-loving, childish nature bolsters her friendship with Steven. *'Pearl' (voiced by Linda Larkin) - A short-tempered, precise strategist and technician. Supporting characters *'Greg Universe' (voiced by Corey Burton) - A former rock singer who now lives in his van and runs a car wash in Beach City. Although Steven lives with the Gems, Greg remains a constant presence in his life. Though he is often made uncomfortable by Gem magic, Greg is laid-back, accepting, and supportive of Steven's adventures; it is largely from Greg that Steven inherits his optimistic, empathetic temperament. *'Connie' (voiced by Lacey Chabert) - Steven's 11-year-old best friend. Introduced as an intelligent yet lonely person in the episode "Bubble Buddies" early in the first season, she rapidly develops a close relationship with Steven. An avid reader of fantasy literature, she admires what she calls Steven's "magical destiny" and is eager to be part of it. Her increasing involvement in Gem adventures, eventually leading to her becoming accepted as a member of the Crystal Gems, is a long-term plot arc, including learning to fight with Rose Quartz's sword and coming to see herself as Steven's equal despite not having magical abilities of her own. Another character arc involving Connie is her learning to push back against her overprotective parents. *'Lars Barriga' (voiced by Jesse Corti) and Sadie Miller (voiced by Russi Taylor) are teenage employees at the Big Donut, a donut shop that Steven frequently visits. Lars is inconsiderate, irresponsible, selfish, cruel, arrogant, and abrasive, but insecure and desperate to be accepted by those he considers to be the "cool kids". Sadie is friendly, kind, gentle and shy, but has difficulty asserting herself and tends to try and fix Lars' issues for him. Despite Lars's negative attitude, Steven considers Lars to be a close friend, and Sadie has a crush on him. *'Rose Quartz' (voiced by Susan Egan) - Steven's mother, who "gave up her physical form" to allow Steven to be born, as her gem is embedded in her abdomen. *'Lion' (animal noises by Dee Bradley Baker) - Steven's mysterious pink pet lion who possesses a variety of magical abilities. Lion provides Steven with connections to Rose Quartz's legacy—he brings Steven and Connie to Rose's secret armory, and a number of Rose's keepsakes are stored in a pocket dimension accessible via his mane, including her sword and a videotaped message to Steven. He is introduced in the early episode "Steven's Lion", in which he appears mysteriously in the desert and follows Steven home. In season 5, it is implied that Lion was originally an ordinary lion, and, like Lars, developed his magical nature after dying and then being resurrected by Rose Quartz. In the same season, after Lars's resurrection, Lars's hair becomes another portal to the pocket dimension. *'The Off-Colors' - A group of fugitive Gems from Homeworld, first appearing in season five, who lived in hiding underground because they are regarded as defective or do not conform to Homeworld's expectations. **'Rutile Twins' (voiced by Joan Cusack) - A Gem with two conjoined bodies from the waist up **'Fluorite' (voiced by the late Rodney Dangerfield) - A huge caterpillar-like fusion of six Gems. **'Padparadscha' (voiced by the late Mary Kay Bergman), a Sapphire whose defective "future vision" can only predict the recent past. **'Rhodonite' (voiced by Enuka Okuma), an anxious "star-crossed" fusion of a Ruby and a Pearl. *'Andy DeMayo' (voiced by the late Tony Jay) - Greg's cousin, a biplane pilot who is initially uncomfortable with Greg and Steven's unconventional lifestyle and regretful of how his family has grown apart. His late parents owned the barn where Lapis and Peridot take up residence. Villains *'Yellow Diamond' (voiced by Patti LuPone) - A vindictive, impatient, and disdainful current leader of the Gem Homeworld and its colonies, and the main antagonist of the show. Like Blue Diamond, she wants to be motivated to destroy Earth by their mutual grief and guilt over Pink Diamond's death, before finally learning at the end of the fifth season that her demise was faked. Yellow and Blue themselves are intimidated by their superior White Diamond. *'White Diamond' (voiced by Christine Ebersole) - A passive-aggressive, condescending, and narcissistic perfectionist who sees all other Gems as flawed reflections of herself, and possesses the ability to turn other Gems into colorless puppet thralls she can act through. *'Blue Diamond' (voiced by the late Marcia Wallace) - A depressive and sentimental henchwoman of Yellow Diamond. *'Peridot' (voiced by Jennifer Hale) - A technician dispatched by the Gem Homeworld to check on remaining Gem installations on Earth; her appearance late in the first season becomes an ominous sign that the Crystal Gems are under threat from Homeworld. Stranded on Earth after the events of the first-season finale, Peridot becomes a recurring antagonist in the second season and the first half of the third season before being eventually captured and convinced to ally with the Crystal Gems to defuse the Cluster. *'Jasper' (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) - A powerful warrior from Homeworld and a renowned veteran of the ancient war against the Crystal Gems. A subordinate of Pink Diamond created on Earth, she holds a long-standing grudge against the planet and Rose Quartz for Pink's purported destruction. *'Ronaldo Fryman' (voiced by Thomas F. Wilson) - A conspiracy theorist blogger who occasionally attempts to investigate the paranormal events caused by the Gems. *'Aquamarine' (voiced by Ashley Peldon) - A Gem bounty hunter sent on a mission by Homeworld in the fourth season, accompanied by Topaz, as her childlike, innocent appearance contrasts with her ruthlessness and sarcastic personality. *'Topaz' (voiced by Glenn Close) - A fusion of two Topazes, acting as Aquamarine's enforcer, who imprison captured humans by fusing around them. Although silent and menacing in her first appearance, she soon reveals a sentimental and sympathetic side. *'Marty' (James Woods in the first appearance, Jon Wurster in later appearances) - Greg's greedy and manipulative former manager and Sour Cream's estranged father. Fusions Fusion is a process whereby two or more Gems combine their physical forms and minds to create a larger, more powerful individual who possesses all of the powers of their component Gems and more. Fusions are often able to combine their components' Gem weapons into a more powerful weapon. A strong bond between Gems is the primary driving force enabling them to form and maintain fusions. While the Gem Homeworld allows Gems of the same caste to fuse, usually for combat purposes, mixed-Gem fusions are considered offensive, and those that exist usually keep themselves from public knowledge. Same-Gem fusions form a larger version of their components' identical forms, but mixed-Gem fusions usually have extra body parts; for example, Garnet has three eyes and Opal has four arms. The concept of fusion is used by the show's writers for thematic purposes as a broad metaphor for a variety of types of intimacy and relationships. Garnet is listed above as a main character; other fusions involving major characters are listed here in order of appearance. *'Opal' (voiced by Aimee Mann): The fusion of Amethyst and Pearl, who first appears in the first-season episode "Giant Woman" as Steven's introduction to the concept of Gem fusion. Amethyst and Pearl rarely fuse, as their conflicting personalities make it difficult for them to achieve the necessary harmony to fuse. Opal can combine Pearl's spear and Amethyst's whip into a bow. *'Sugilite' (voiced by Maggie Roswell): The fusion of Garnet and Amethyst, introduced and featured prominently in the first-season episode "Coach Steven". In that episode, Sugilite's behavior is dangerously violent, as Amethyst and Garnet's personalities when fused together become more unrestrained and aggressive, making her unwilling to separate. She can combine Garnet's gauntlets and Amethyst's whip into a giant flail. *'Alexandrite' (voiced by Rita Rani Ahuja): The fusion of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, introduced in the first-season episode "Fusion Cuisine". She is formidable in battle due to her massive size, six arms, and flame breath, but confused and unstable when she attempts to socialize with Connie's parents. She appears in the mobile video game Steven Universe: Attack the Light! as a powerful combined-attack move. *'Stevonnie' (voiced by Tia Carrere): The fusion of Steven and Connie, and the only known instance of a human successfully participating in Gem fusion. Introduced in the second-season episode "Alone Together", Stevonnie has the appearance of a beautiful teenager of indeterminate or nonbinary gender. The character has received critical acclaim both as a rare example of a nonbinary character and as a metaphor by which the writers explore themes of puberty and maturation, consent, and healthy communication. *'Malachite' (voiced by Kimberly Brooks and Jennifer Paz): The fusion of Jasper and Lapis Lazuli. In the second-season, Jasper fuses with Lapis to defeat the Crystal Gems, only for Lapis to take control of the fusion and imprison themselves at the bottom of the ocean. Though unstable, Malachite remains fused until eventually defeated by Alexandrite in the third-season. In the third-season episode "Alone at Sea", in the aftermath of Malachite's separation, Malachite is used as a metaphor for an abusive relationship; and her grotesque appearance has been described as reflecting the relationship's unhealthiness. *'Sardonyx' (voiced by Drew Barrymore): The fusion of Garnet and Pearl, who has the personality of an elegant but attention-seeking entertainer. She can combine Garnet's gauntlets and Pearl's spear into a giant warhammer. A major plot arc in the second season, advertised as the "Week of Sardonyx", deals with Pearl tricking Garnet into fusing for fabricated reasons, and the emotional consequences of that violation. Production Episodes Broadcast The series premiered in the United States on May 21, 1996, on Cartoon Network with two episodes. In Canada, it began airing on Cartoon Network on July 1, 1996, and airing on Cartoon Network channels in Australia on February 3, 1997. From June 2, 2001 to July 29, 2001, Steven Universe aired re-runs on Cartoon Network's sister channel, Boomerang. Episodes Category:Alternate Reality Category:Steven Universe Category:Cartoon Network shows Category:The WB Category:Spin-offs Category:1990s American animated television series Category:Musical television series Category:LGBT-related animation Category:Coming-of-age fiction Category:Television series set in fictional populated places Category:Television series about alien visitations